December 23, 2014 - News Leader

TOWN AGREES TO ORL LEASEThe Town of Princeton entered into a three-year lease agreement with Okanagan Regional Library at the December 15th meeting of Town Council. The agreement is to provide exclusive use of part of the building at 107 Vermilion Avenue, totaling 2,239 square feet of space currently used as the Princeton ORL Branch. "The Okanagan Regional Library has leased the majority of the building since the Town purchased and renovated the site in 2009," states Director of Finance Shirley McMahon in her report to Council. It is library policy to review lease rates every three years. Historically ORL has been a tenant of the Town of Princeton since 1975 when citizens approved a referendum to join the Regional Library system. The library originally shared space with Princeton Museum at 167 Vermilion Avenue. By 2007 both had outgrown their respective spaces and the ORL Board of Directors unanimously endorsed the relocation of the library to its present location. Long time residents will remember the 107 Vermilion Avenue location as being occupied by the Traveller¹s Café and then the Goldion Restaurant. That property was purchased by the Town of Princeton in March 2007 with renovations starting just over two years later. The library moved into the new space in 2010. The lease rate has not changed from the previous term and is set at $10.00 per square foot or $5,597.50 quarterly. The rate is set by ORL and the library pays an additional 57.3-percent of the total expenses for the building. The term of the new lease begins January 1, 2015.

TOWN ANNOUNCES DEPUTY MAYOR SCHEDULE

The Deputy Mayor schedule for the new term of office (2015 to 2018) for the newly elected members of Princeton Town Council was announced at the December 15th regular meeting of council. Using a rotation system, each Councillor will serve a six-month period as Deputy Mayor. A Deputy Mayor essentially fills the role of Mayor in the absence of Mayor Frank Armitage to ensure all duties and responsibilities normally held by the Mayor continue without interruption. This also includes 'filling in' for the Mayor at meetings and public functions when required. The Town of Princeton Deputy Mayor schedule is as follows: Councillor Kim Maynard (December 2, 2014 to May 31, 2015), Councillor Doug Pateman (June 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015), Councillor Jerome Tjerkstra (January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2015), Councillor Rosemary Doughty (July 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016), Councillor Kim Maynard (January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017), Councillor Doug Pateman (July 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017), Councillor Jerome Tjerkstra (January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018) and Councillor Rosemary Doughty (July 1, 2018 to December 3, 2018). The schedule is subject to change when required.

December 16, 2014 - News Leader

ROCKSLIDE CLOSES HIGHWAY LAST WEEKThe section of Highway 3 located 9-kilometres West of Keremeos is well known by those who live in the Similkameen Valley. In addition to being a vital link to other parts of the southern interior, it is a location that has been prone to rock slides. In fact, a total of three rockslides have occurred at the site in the past year forcing closures and sending travelers on a long detour to get around the site. While there are a few options for travelers, including Princeton-Summerland Road and Nickleplate Road, the most reliable route is from the Coquilhalla Connector to Highway 5A at Aspen Grove, which for many is a trip that can take three hours to go from Keremeos to Princeton. The trip typically takes from thirty to forty-five minutes when Highway 3 is open. Last week's slide was not as serious as the previous two but it forced a mandatory 24-hour closure for assessment. Ministry of Transportation District Program Manager Steve Sirett has identified the mild weather as the cause. "We think it's weather-related, due to the freeze-thaw that occurred recently." Sirett expects the freeze-thaw cycle to continue frequently in the next few months, which could mean more slides and more closures. The Ministry did build a three-metre high concrete barrier along the stretch of highway frequently subjected to slides but last week's event saw boulders clear the wall or roll onto the highway just outside the length of the barrier. Ministry of Transportation officials say the site will receive a lot more attention next summer due to a planned project. The work is expected to include an excavating of the slope along with the construction of a much larger catchment area. There are no details on when this project will begin.

RODEO CLUB CHANGES EVENT DATEPrinceton's annual rodeo has been moved to the second weekend in June. The Rodeo Club held a meeting December 11 to consider a new date for the rodeo. For many years, the rodeo has been held on the second weekend of May, coinciding with Mother's Day. That weekend has not been good for attendance because of Mother's Day and because the weather is often cool or rainy. By selecting June 13 and 14, the weather will be warmer and there will be no 'special' day to interfere with attendance. The new date also allows for a better joint celebration with Princeton's Sister City of Tonasket, Washington. The Sister City arrangement was originally formed between the rodeo clubs of both communities as a way to foster goodwill between them and to share the exciting sport of rodeo with an international connection. The Princeton rodeo date move also brings the event closer on the schedule to that of Tonasket's. The annual Tonasket Founder's Day Rodeo is held the weekend following Memorial Day which will be May 30 and 31 in 2015. While both communities have delegations that visit during rodeo season, the new Princeton rodeo date will assist in enhancing the already well established relationship between the Sister City communities.

December 09, 2014 - News Leader

FAIR ELECTS NEW BOARDThe annual general meeting of Princeton & District Agricultural Fall Fair Association took place Wednesday, December 3, at the library, having been rescheduled due to the weather the week before. Councillor Kim Maynard conducted the election of the fiftieth Board of Directors. Dawn Johnson was elected President, replacing Dan Kastor. Lisa Carleton will serve again as Treasurer, with Jennifer Bernard as Secretary. Keith Olsen, Vince Milligan and Rayleen Brewer were elected as Directors for one year, with Sue Gereau and Jennifer Bernard completing a two year term as Directors. After taking the chair, the new president thanked members for the work they did during the past year, giving particular thanks to Dan Kastor. The president thanked all those who let their names stand. Routine end of the year business was disposed of, then committees were formed. Due to an excellent turnout of members, and their willingness to volunteer, most committee convenors were designated at the meeting. Lisa Carleton will be in charge of Junior Fair, a task she has done for several years, Jennifer Bernard and Heather King will manage the concession. Rayleen Brewer will take over Building #2, which houses the fruit, vegetables, home canning, eggs and baking exhibits. Convenors are needed for flower entries and for Building #1, which houses arts and crafts exhibits. Vince Milligan, Keith Olsen and TamAirah Campbell will organize the livestock. Keith Olsen will oversee vendors. TamAirah Campbell will be in charge of promotions. Dan Kastor will be in charge of the annual major raffle. Jennifer Bernard and Lisa Carleton are working on grants and entertainment. Dawn Johnson will continue as Head Convenor. Shirley Freding will do children's arts and crafts. As 2015 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first Princeton Fall Fair, there was discussion of how to present the theme at the fair. One of the ideas is to make posters of fair activities from the past. Members will be consulting people who may have been involved in the first few fairs to see if they have photographs which can be reproduced. The Women's Institute and Princeton Light Horse Club were part of the first fairs. Brian Ferguson suggested displaying some of the history of the first fairs using old newspaper articles. The first fair was held in 1965. There was a discussion of having bands play popular music from that era, such as the Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys and Roy Orbison hit songs. The entertainment committee will look into this. The next Fall Fair meeting will take place January 27 at 6:30 PM at the library, weather permitting. These meetings are open to the public.

SANTA'S SITER CITY CONNECTIONThe Sister City relationship between the communities of Princeton, British Columbia and Tonasket, Washington may be closer than you think. In addition to having two very popular rodeo events hosted in each community, Santa Claus visited both Tonasket and Princeton over the weekend. When Santa arrived in Tonasket on December 5th it was on top of a City of Tonasket fire truck. He turned on the lights to the official tree and visited with children at Founder's Park in the heart of Tonasket. He was surrounded by local ambassadors and rodeo queens. Santa was in Tonasket to celebrate their annual WinterFest. When Santa arrived in Princeton September 7th (following a quick appearance in Keremeos along the way) he arrived riding on the top of a brand new Princeton Highway Rescue Truck. He sat and was entertained by children performing for him in Veterans Square in the heart of downtown Princeton. He was surrounded by local ambassadors. Santa was in Princeton to celebrate the annual Light-Up. The only difference between the visits was that Santa has Mrs. Claus with him in Tonasket and after visiting with children there he (and Mrs. Claus) climbed into a partially dug out canoe made by Churchill Clark. Clark, a direct descendent of the 'Clark' part of the exploring team of Lewis and Clark, is working on the project in honour of his family's historic roots. In Princeton, Santa was joined by direct descendants of John Fall Allison, the first white settler in the area.

December 02, 2014 - News Leader

DEER PROBLEM FRUSTRATES COUNCILMayor Frank Armitage stated at the November 17 Town Council meeting the deer problem frustrates Council. Mayor Armitage and Councillors Kim Maynard and Doug Pateman met with Barbara Leslie of BC Conservation regarding the lack of a resident conservation officer and the deer problem. Mayor Armitage commented, "Great dialogue, no results." Council was advised to take the matter to a higher level. Mayor Armitage said, "It seems there is nothing we can do about the deer problem."

RDOS RELEASES 2014 SURVEY RESULTSThe Regional District is making progress in their effort to improve the customer experience of their citizens. The Regional District conducted a survey to measure the satisfaction of citizens in the eight electoral areas in April of this year and released the results of the survey last week. "A Key Success Indicator for our organization is to improve the customer experience," stated Mark Pendergraft, Chair of the Regional District. "We gather this information so the Board can make informed decisions about where to best apply our resources in the future to make the biggest difference for our citizens." The Regional District surveys citizens in its electoral areas every 2nd year. Four hundred residents were randomly selected to share their opinions and ideas about the Regional District as their local government with respect to Quality of Life, Service Satisfaction, Environment, Communications, Information Technology, and Fiscal Responsibility. Overall satisfaction ratings indicated 80% of our residents rate the quality of life in their community as excellent. 72% rate it as an excellent place to raise children, and 80% rate the Regional District as an excellent place to retire. 62% agree the Regional District is doing a good job overall. "Sixty-percent of our citizens believe they get good value for taxes paid. When asked, 70% of our citizens prefer that we offer the same level of service at the same level of taxation while 8% would prefer that we reduce the current level of service. Asked whether they might support a tax increase, 16% said they would support an increase for increased service." Chair Mark Pendergraft said the survey results are an important part of the Regional District's Strategic Plan. "The Regional District Board and staff will use this feedback to guide the organization's decision-making and financial planning processes." As a next step in the Citizen Survey process, the Regional District will now review the statistical and narrative results and determine areas that need to be addressed. This information is used in the Strategic Planning and Budgeting processes for the Board. In addition to the telephone Citizen Survey, an online Citizen Survey was conducted. The online survey was added as another way to determine the satisfaction of residents within the Regional District and to incorporate an accurate reading from all citizen demographics. 198 citizens were surveyed by online survey. The complete report on the 2014 Citizen Survey is available for download from the Regional District website which is located at www.rdos.bc.ca. - submitted

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